1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the regulators for underwater breathing apparatus.
Such regulators comprise a box-like body to which a tube provided of mouthpiece is connected, the said body being made from metal or plastic material.
Obviously, the realization in plastic material is the one that results economically more advantageous, since the regulator is particularly light and handy, and it results also obtainable at restrained costs.
However, it has been found that, in particular during diving in very cold waters (about 0.degree. C.) such a regulator presents some drawbacks. In fact some encrustations of ice might form easily on the inside of it, which are due to the freezing of the steam caused by the expansion of the air into the plastic material body, which is diathermic. On the contrary this does not occur with the regulators provided with a metal body, because the latter allows a steady thermic exchange with the environment.
2. Description of Related Art
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,820 a regulator is known for underwater breathing apparatus comprising a box-like body made of molded plastic material. In order to prevent freeze-up of the air supply valve mechanism and actuator under cold water environments, the regulator is provided with a heat conducting element having a first portion so located to receive heat from the user's breath and having a second portion in heat transferring relation to the valve mechanism whereby heat is transferred from the user's breath to the valve mechanism for preventing freeze-up of the valve mechanism under cold ambient conditions.
However, also this regulator construction is unsuited to prevent the formation of ice encrustations on the inside of the regulator.